Research confirms the old wives tale: Your feet actually do grow during pregnancy... and (sorry, Mama) those tootsies of yours are not going to get smaller again. Good news if you're looking to revamp your shoe collection (or if you need an excuse for why you just have to go on a shoe shopping spree). Not such great news if you've just bought a pricey pair (or two... or three) of Jimmy Choos.
It's not just a woman's belly that expands when she's growing a baby. Many women have long suspected that pregnancy permanently changes the size and shape of their feet, and now research from the University of Iowa backs it up. A new study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation has found that expectant women's feet go through a lot of changes during those nine months. Researchers followed nearly 50 pregnant women and measured their feet at the beginning of pregnancy and then five months after delivery. They found that in the majority of the women (60 to 70 percent), their feet became longer (between 2mm and 10mm longer) and wider. They also found that arch height decreased significantly from the beginning of pregnancy to after the baby was born. The reason? First, expectant moms tend to develop flat feet, possibly because all that extra baby weight flattens the arch of the foot. Then, thanks (or no thanks) to relaxin - the pregnancy hormone that loosens the ligaments and joints around the pelvis so baby can fit through - the ligaments in the feet also start to loosen, eventually stretching those tootsies. Happily, these changes only happen during a first pregnancy (could you imagine if your foot grew during each pregnancy?!).
Why are scientists taking the time to follow foot sizes during pregnancy? It's known that women - especially those who have had children -- are at higher risk than men for pain or arthritis in their feet, knees, and hips, and researchers want to find out if it's the foot changes during pregnancy that contribute to a woman's musculoskeletal health later in life.
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